Lake Placid village to advertise clerk vacancy

May 1, 2013

LAKE PLACID - The village of Lake Placid will soon advertise its vacant clerk position.

Meanwhile, North Elba town Clerk Laurie Curtis-Dudley will no longer take minutes at village board meetings. She was brought in to perform the duty after Kathryn "Kook" McKillip was placed on administrative leave early last month.

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Clerk vacancy

Trustee Scott Monroe asked for an update on the clerk situation at Monday's village Board of Trustees meeting. Mayor Craig Randall said the position will be advertised soon.

Randall said the village isn't likely to make any changes to residency requirements before a new clerk is hired.

"We may not have (the residency issue) resolved," Randall said. "Nevertheless, there's no reason not to post it."

Randall said at least one person has contacted the village about the clerk position. He said the individual wanted to know whether residency would be an issue.

"My response is, at the moment, it is an issue," the mayor said. "However, the option is, if you were the selected candidate, you would agree to move into the village within a six-month window of time. That would accommodate the current law that we've got."

In April, the board tabled a proposed local law that would have expanded the residency requirement. Currently, a 1982 law states that only people living within specific election districts, most of which are in the village, can be eligible for village employment. The proposed law would have allowed anyone who lives in Essex County to work for the village.

Some village workers, like fire drivers, are only required to live within the fire district, which includes most of the town of North Elba.

"Common sense says we're going to have to do something with that local law," Randall said.

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Town clerk: no time

Curtis-Dudley has taken minutes at three village board meetings. She has been paid at a rate of $50 an hour.

Randall said Monday that Curtis-Dudley won't have time to take minutes going forward.

"We are working on someone to continue the project, should it be needed, and it perhaps will be," the mayor said.

Curtis-Dudley said she may be able to share the duty with someone else. Randall said he thinks something can be worked out.